POTTSVILLE - For the first time ever, the Pottsville School District has one nurse for each building in the district to better serve students' health needs.

Jill Riggs joined the nursing staff this year, allowing each nurse to serve one building. Riggs works at the elementary school, while Darla Jones works at the middle grades building and Cathy Heflin works at the high school.

"We are fortunate to have highly qualified nurses to provide quality care for all of our students," Superintendent Randall Williams said. "The reason the board of education is so committed to the school health program is because if students don't feel well, they can't function well in the classroom.

"We're proud to have the program we've got in place."

Heflin has worked at Pottsville for 19 years.

"For the first 12 or 13 years, I had all the grades to myself," Heflin said.

Jones joined the staff seven years ago, working with kindergarten through eighth grade.

The addition of Riggs this year allows each nurse to work with students from a particular building.

Students of different ages have different needs, Jones said, and having a nurse for each building allows each nurse to better serve those specific needs.

"It's great to have a nurse on each campus because we can give more quality time and attention to our students," Jones said.

Working with elementary students involves a lot of "TLC," Riggs said.

"A lot of what I see is minor emergency types of injuries like cuts or bloody noses," Riggs said. "But a lot of it, too, is hugs and kisses.

"I have a lot of 'regulars' that aren't really sick, they just need a hug and a kiss. For some of them, that may be the only attention like that they get, so it's important to them."

Riggs handles vision, hearing and body mass index screenings for students in her building. Although vision and hearing screenings are only required for students in kindergarten, first and third grades, Riggs said she tries to screen all of the students in the elementary school. The BMI screening is required for all students each year.

Another task Riggs handles is making sure students are properly immunized before they are allowed to attend school.

Since she has only been working for a few months, Riggs said she hasn't had the opportunity to do much education yet, but she hopes to visit classrooms to discuss health issues soon. Issues she said she would like to address with students include dental care and hygiene.

At the middle school level, Jones said her responsibilities as a nurse involve some emotional support as well as working with classroom teachers to educate students about health issues.

"We're an advocate for the students," Jones said. "My job involves a lot of communication with parents. In middle school, we've had a lot of changes. If a vaccination wears out, this is the age it hits. So getting each student's immunization history is a big part of my job."

Jones said increasing awareness of physical health is also important for students at the middle school level.

"I like to go into classes," Jones said. "I'm hoping, with three nurses, to go into classrooms as a resource for teachers. That's our role. Our role is not just to stay in here and put band-aids on. We're here for the students in many other ways."

Another important job of the school nurse is to encourage health and wellness among faculty and staff members, Jones said.

"We have to stay healthy to be good role models," Jones said. "I love my job and love being around students and teaching them to think healthy."

When Heflin sees a student, it is usually because they are really sick, she said.

"They know their class load and what is required of them, so usually when they come in here, they really are sick," Heflin said.

However, providing support for students' emotional needs is also a role Heflin fulfills.

"We want to be able to take care of everything they need - physically, mentally and emotionally," she said.

Screenings for vision, hearing, scoliosis and body mass indexes are also required each year at the high school level, Heflin said. She said the school also arranges for a free physical for all athletes. However, to receive the free physical, the athletes must come at the set time because it is a one-time offer, Heflin added.

Parent and community volunteers are essential during screenings, Heflin said.

"I have excellent parent volunteers that help with the screenings, that are very active in the school," Heflin said. "I could not do it without them."

Privacy is important for high school students during screenings, especially during the BMI screenings, Heflin said.

"During the BMIs, I use volunteers in the line, but I do the height and weight myself because for students at this age, it's a real privacy issue," she said. "I take them into the room one at a time. The results are mailed to the state, and the state mails them to the student's home to protect their privacy."

Nurses help with various health programs each year, Jones said. For elementary students, Riggs will aid in organizing the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program. Jones said she will help organize the American Diabetes Association's school Walk for Diabetes.